A room with subjective directional gravity

[Foolosophy]

From the planar traits part of the SRD

Subjective Directional Gravity

The strength of gravity on a plane with this trait is the same as on the Material Plane, but each individual chooses the direction of gravity’s pull. Such a plane has no gravity for unattended objects and nonsentient creatures. This sort of environment can be very disorienting to the newcomer, but is common on “weightless” planes.

Characters on a plane with subjective directional gravity can move normally along a solid surface by imagining “down” near their feet. If suspended in midair, a character “flies” by merely choosing a “down” direction and “falling” that way. Under such a procedure, an individual “falls” 150 feet in the first round and 300 feet in each succeeding round. Movement is straight-line only. In order to stop, one has to slow one’s movement by changing the designated “down” direction (again, moving 150 feet in the new direction in the first round and 300 feet per round thereafter).

It takes a DC 16 Wisdom check to set a new direction of gravity as a free action; this check can be made once per round. Any character who fails this Wisdom check in successive rounds receives a +6 bonus on subsequent checks until he or she succeeds.
It seems to indicate that mindless objects just float in space.
So what would happen when a PC (i.e. a sentient being) enters a room that has been (maybe through a planar mishap or simply magic) altered to have subjective directional gravity.

If the PC doesn't know about this, what will happen? Will he fall straight down (as if on earth / the material plane) because he expects gravity to go into that direction (i.e. subconciously selecting a "down") or will he float in space because he hasn't made up his mind yet?

I was thinking about letting the character have a SG 16 wisdom check when he first enters the room (before he "falls") to see if he realizes that this room has no objective directional gravity, allowing him to make another check to set his "down" if he succeeds, having him fall "earth-downwards" if he doesn't.
He will get the cumulative +6 bonus on following rounds either to realize whats going on (if he hasn't) or to change direction.
The bonus will be reset once, after he first realizes he can change the direction.

Any better ideas? Should he be floating in space until he conciously decides to change "down"?

[squishycube]

"This sort of environment can be very disorienting to the newcomer"

Not realising and falling like the plane you are used to seems a good way to handle that.

[B!shop]

Will he fall straight down (as if on earth / the material plane) because he expects gravity to go into that direction (i.e. subconciously selecting a "down")

I think this is the answer to your question, at least for me.
And the most logical when you talk about a room.

Think about it: a PC enters the room from a door, he must expect the down is where his feet are.
An interesting situation could happen if you think of an huge room (several yards large) with the door entrance in the middle of one wall. The pc enters, see the height from the floor to the door treshold, but didn't know about the subjective gravity.

[Green Bean]

I'd say that the subjective gravity maintains the same orientation as the outside for the PCs. Of course, I'd allow DC 15 Knowledge: The Planes check to determine that it is a subjective gravity room, with bonuses if there's particularily obvious signs (floating rocks, etc.) to allow them reorient at will.

[Rad]

If everything is in place (no floating rocks) I would allow no check to determine the nature of the room. Moreover from the description of the directional gravity (I'd have a couple of points on it, but I'll preserve catgirls this time) it is not possible for a living being to have no gravity: you have to fall somewhere (the perceived "down" direction for unknowing subjects would be ideal).

Some cool ideas:
1) A chasm room: let the players waste a fly/dimension door if they do not come up with it and then wonder how the raging barbarian managed to pursue them through it when he shows up on their train in the next room

2) A combat: let the PC think that the guy they are fighting has some magic or supernatural ability that allows walking on walls or falling horizontally until they figure it out. Have fun with monks and ninjas ad players saying "I want that PrC too!".

In any case I would keep the working of how the room works secret until some clou moment. Make the players know that, eventually, just not the first time they enter it. (you're not making this room an once-only encounter, are you?)

[merrja666]

If the PCs were in a very large room, and things were flying in one direction, and several NPCs were fighting on the wall (which, or them, would be the floor), for example, they could "fall" towards the aforementioned wall, taking the appropriate damag, but a successful Will Save, and/or a Knowlage (the Planes) check could show them that there was subjective directional gravity.

An interesing twist to this is if they later encountered a room with the spell Reverse Gravity in it as the gravity would be centred vertically (eg, they "fall" upwards), for they would try to cross through the area in which the spell ad been cast, and "fall" and hit the ceiling.

[Yuki Akuma]

What happens in a room with subjective gravity when someone casts Reverse Gravity?

[Green Bean]

What happens in a room with subjective gravity when someone casts Reverse Gravity?

The universe would cease to exist.



But seriously, I'd make it a Will save to percieve that gravity has reversed and a reflex save to reorient yourself to avoid falling in an unwanted direction.

[Reinboom]

Will is more willpower, or mental effects.
This is more perception, and as such, I believe it would be a difficult Wisdom check (DC 20? or higher) with many stacking bonuses from various other additions, such as a noticing that you 'fall' slower in this room than in normal circumstances, noticing floating objects, opponent's taking advantage of the room, knowledge the planes, etc.

[B!shop]

What happens in a room with subjective gravity when someone casts Reverse Gravity?

I think of two possible situations:
1) The gravity is reversed baed on the caster's perceived gravity
2) The gravity reversed based on each single entity affected by the spell

[Wehrkind]

You need to do the classic Loony Toons move where you have the characters knocked out/sleeping, then put them in a series of rooms with subjective gravity and furniture etc. nailed to the "ceiling" with doors in appropriate areas.

"You wake up on the ceiling..." DC 16 Wis check "You panic, and fall to the floor."

As they enter the next room, the sofa is on the wall. Repeat until they get used to it, then have them walk into a normal gravity room *thump*.

[nows7]

What happens in a room with subjective gravity when someone casts Reverse Gravity?

I might simply say that the "reverse Gravity" spell 'overrides' the subjective gravity unless the person makes a DC 16 or the spell DC will save.

[lordmarcoos]

Another random question for this: assuming everyone in the room knows about the subjective directional gravity, could you potentially have two warriors swinging at each other who both get the benefit of fighting on higher ground? I mean, each character could just imagine that the floor is actually sloped, and each one could be imagining a slope in opposite directions. Does that work?

[Kyace]

Another random question for this: assuming everyone in the room knows about the subjective directional gravity, could you potentially have two warriors swinging at each other who both get the benefit of fighting on higher ground? I mean, each character could just imagine that the floor is actually sloped, and each one could be imagining a slope in opposite directions. Does that work?

I would assume that if there is no agreed upon "down" there can be no higher ground.